About us

Welcome Beyond hand-picks small hotels and vacation rentals
that are truly original.

Many reflect their owners’ passion for distinctive architecture and design. Some border on quirky, several are quite posh. And a few are downright rustic.
What all properties have in common is that they’re exclusive — in the best sense of the word.
Each is singular, memorable and definitely worth writing home about.

Who’s behind this

Welcome Beyond was founded by two Berlin-based brothers who’ve spent their lives studying and working around the globe. In addition to a lot of genes, they share a fundamental insight about travel – that where you stay is as vital to the experience as what you see and do.

Oliver Laugsch has been a designer and art director with agencies in the US, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, creating the only known connection between clients such as Deutsche Bank and the Chemical Brothers. Oliver channeled his lifelong love of design and architecture into formal studies at the Art Center College of Design.

Chris Laugsch worked in finance for a German multinational, ultimately taking on a management role with its Brazilian subsidiary. He was educated at the European Business School in London and Santiago de Chile. Chris alternates between German and English with his older brother – and throws in some Spanish or Portuguese to keep it interesting.

FAQs

To check availability and prices of any property, just click on the «Check availability» button.
You can expect a reply within 24 hours, and almost always much quicker.

In contrast to big booking portals, you can of course also ask the property any questions you might have, or make special arrangements — before booking.

The collection

In order to stay true to our concept, we review every property application carefully and only accept those that meet our high quality standards, and our subjective taste — in all price ranges.

Prices

Prices are the same as booking with the property directly, or with big booking portals.
There are no extra costs or fees to you. This is guaranteed.

In addition, by booking through Welcome Beyond you support a community of unique accommodations and will often receive a small free gift, and a lot of personal attention.

Safety

All properties are hand-picked by us (it is impossible to just list a property) and we are in personal contact with all property owners and managers. The people and properties on Welcome Beyond are real and it is entirely safe to book your holiday with them.

In the press

Please state your full name and phone number, the publication you write for and the property you are interested in. If it’s particularly urgent, please let us know in the subject line and we will usually be able to send you content in just an hour or two.

Best Villa Rental Agencies 2015

“Welcome Beyond: This rental company is the brainchild of two brothers from Berlin, and is a testament to their passion for architecture and design. They hand pick every property, currently available in 38 countries around the world. You can rent everything from the unusual (say, a yurt in Varen, France) to the magical (a historic castle in Portugal or a modern chalet in South Tyrol, Italy).”

— Travel + Leisure

Hey, How Did You Find That Place?

“Recently, I logged onto VRBO.com, only to find my head spinning at the length of its roster. Scrolling through Hotels.com and Airbnb.com, I almost gave up.

Founded by two globe-trotting Berlin-based brothers, Welcome Beyond offers lodgings with personality: a six-bedroom, cliffside villa in Phuket, Thailand, goes for 1,338 euros per night (chef included), and a cozy forest hut in Sweden with no electricity costs 44 euros. Welcome Beyond is best for the adventurous traveler who can appreciate the unusual — bordering on eccentric — collection of properties, which include castles, yurts and tree houses.”

— The New York Times

Skip the hotel, stay in a horse

“A family-size tree house in French wine country; an igloo in the Swiss Alps; a hotel located 21ft under the sea in Florida — chances are you won’t find these holiday accommodations on your favourite online booking site.

Castles, design hotels and villa rentals make up most of the listings on the Berlin-based website Welcome Beyond, which includes about 137 properties in more than 37 countries and about 25 truly off-the-radar finds, including igloos in Switzerland and Germany and a hotel in an ancient cave in the Italian village of Matera.”

The 50 best travel websites: welcomebeyond.com

Web Buzz: WelcomeBeyond.com showcases unusual accommodations

“Say no to brand-name hotel chains and resorts. Say yes to handpicked vacation accommodations with a sense of adventure.

You can find off-the-radar lodgings, such as a yurt in England, a breathtaking beach house in Kenya or an igloo in the Swiss Alps. You can search by using Map View or by selecting from a list of thematic interests, such as skiing and snowboarding or kids and family.”

— Los Angeles Times

The best travel websites ever

“For a property to make it on to this site it needs to be architecturally interesting and something of an interior design delight. Choose, say, between a cave in Sicily or a rooftop apartment in Buenos Aires. You can search by location or interest, whether that be culture, nature or simply staring at the (beautifully decorated) walls.”

— The Guardian

World's Coolest Rental Homes

“Renting a house has become increasingly easy — and popular — in the past few years, thanks to sites like HomeAway and AirBnB. And there are some very cool rental homes out there. It’s enough to make a five-star hotel jealous. Of course, anyone who’s sifted through dozens of ho-hum listings knows how much time can evaporate while trying to find the perfect place to call home for a week’s escape. But thanks to curated new websites such as WelcomeBeyond.com travelers can browse designers’ rental homes that have been carefully selected for their cool quotient...”

— Travel + Leisure

Home from Home

“If you’re looking for a stylish holiday home to rent this summer, we love Welcome Beyond’s collection, which focuses on great architecture and design. Its new properties include acottage in central Switzerland, which despite its picture-postcard looks has an ultra modern interior.”

— Elle Decoration

Escapes

“Welcome Beyond is a company that curates luxury boutique hotels and homes around the world. Each property is carefully selected by the co-founders, who also happen to be brothers with a passion for travel. They have a great, modern aesthetic and an eye for design — from rustic to over the top — that makes these places truly unique and memorable.”

“Excuse my French, but the hotel you choose for your honeymoon needs to have a certain je ne sais quoi. And, no, I don’t mean that it’s gotta cost a zillion bucks a night. Rather, it needs to be artful, design-forward, detail-oriented, and in a mind-blowing location. Essentially you want it to feel as special as your new marriage (corny, but true).

Enter Welcome Beyond. It’s a nifty site that features rental homes and boutique hotels around the world, which is something that lots of sites do, sure, but these just have that ‘It factor’ and for rates that are downright reasonable. I think I’m speaking your language now, right?”

— Martha Stewart Weddings

Tripologist: Digiwatch

“Welcome Beyond subtitles itself ‘hand-picked paradise’ and in order for a hotel, guesthouse, or beachside retreat to qualify for the site, it must be unique. From a beach house in Lamu, Kenya, to the amazing and whimsical Treehotel in north Sweden, to a multistorey pavilion buried in the forests of Phuket, the site is a feast of glamorous real estate in some of the world's prettiest places, with some standout bargains in the mix.”